brand design + market strategy

2nd annual LA printers fair

this past weekend was the 2nd annual printer’s fair at the international printing museum in torrance. the LA chapter of AIGA teamed up with the OC chapter and took a table to meet the attendees and let any designers, printers, and creatives know about what we do. the international printing museum has a great collection of print machinery for letterpress and linotype, bringing the history of printing to life for all audiences.

the vendors who sell at this fair are split between those with equipment and supplies to sell to people who would like to do their own printing or supplement their collections, and those who do printing and design, selling products or services. much of the work was so nice to experience, the combination of great design and the elegance of letterpress makes most print designers want to buy everything in sight.

some of the vendors combined personal crafts with print matter, such as michelle moode, who created many handmade books with some application of printed material, sewn stitching, and typographic ornaments. these books were designed as journals with blank paper, but i know i’d have trouble making the move to write in it.

i have always been interested in the letterpress process, so it’s great to know i’d have an option to shop for a press one day. for now, i’m still just a customer.